38,000 Mandera families face starvation

Mandera Governor Ali Roba on Saturday called on the national government and all development partners to support people facing starvation.

Speaking at the county headquarters when he launched relief food distribution across all six constituencies, Roba said more interventions were necessary to save the lives of hundreds of people.

“The drought situation is getting worse by the day with more and more families in need of help. Families are finding it extremely difficult to put even a single meal on the table. we all must do something. that is why I am calling for support,” said Roba.

In the week between February 9 to 15, the county carried out an assessment of the impact of the drought on the communities. Result showing that 38,294 vulnerable households are staring at starvation.

This was broken down by constituencies as follows: Mandera South 5,256, Lafey 2,830, Mandera East 5,337, Mandera West 4,086, Mandera North 4,921, Banisa 5,101 and Kutulo 2,520.

Other vulnerable households include all registered orphanages, persons living with HIV, non-locals, destitute and other special groups at 8,343.

Abdi Mohamed, a beneficiary of the programme and father of eight who hails from Mandera South, thanked the county for coming to their aid.

Another resident, Amina Hassan from Banisa, said she was forced to take some away her children to stay with her relatives who are well off.

“I am a mother of seven and a widow, all I had were a few goats which were my only source of livelihood. Unfortunately, drought has swept everything and so we depend on well-wishers for survival,” she said.

Last week, Governor Roba flagged off an additional 17 hired water bowsers which he said will ensure there will be an uninterrupted supply of water to the 246 water trucking centers.

He said this is to alleviate the suffering of people and animals.

In the past, the concentration of people and livestock in certain areas have caused conflicts among the pastoral communities competing for limited resources and water.

The National Drought and Management Authority has already issued an alert over the deterioration in livestock body condition and milk production.

In its January report, the authority said that storage and water sources are depleting by the day due to the failed October-December rainfall.